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A normal girl living her biggest, messiest dreams.

Get to know me

As seen on

These are my unfiltered adventures, musings and stories.
I talk about birds, coffee and overcoming personal fears too much.

60
ish countries
7
continents
10
odd years
Find me on or or I'll email you!

My recent adventures

25 photos that will inspire you to visit Rockwood Station

A perfect anniversary escape to the forest and mountains in New Zealand

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Moving Giants: the story of translocating 200 elephants across Africa

What to do when there are too many elephants in one area? Move them!

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Some thoughts on earning my permanent residency in New Zealand

Slowly but surely inching my way towards becoming a kiwi

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More adventures from the blog

My favorite stories

All the mean, nasty and godawful hateful things people say to me online

Guys, why do people troll on the internet? Why are blogger hate comments ...
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Solo and single in the most romantic place in the world

How glossy and polished is the travel industry today? Well, I suppose it's ...
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A broken robot: the face of a burnout

My whole life I’ve always been told that my face reads like an ...
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More inspirational stories

Where I screwed up big time

That one time I crashed a scooter in Bali

A week ago I found myself upside down in a ditch full of ...
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Getting Naked in Istanbul

**Warning this post borders on the TMI, but I thought it was too ...
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This might be my funniest story of all time

Guys, the funniest thing happened to me the other day. Now, I know I ...
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More confessions
World Map
Roads through Iceland
Iceland
New Zealand Road Trip Part 1
New Zealand Road Trip Part 2
Australia
Spain
Canada
Finland

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Join me on Instagram @YoungAdventuress

youngadventuress

Nature frother & #birdnerd. Friend of kākāpō and the girl with the whales 🐳 it’s all on my blog ⬇️

Liz Carlson☀️Young Adventuress
Wow how time flies! The past couple of months have Wow how time flies! The past couple of months have been a blur as I worked like crazy to get my latest project @node.nz off the ground in Lyttelton. In contrast to my hectic life of travel and social media, whenever I was home I would work with my indoor plants and in the garden. With @giuliosturla by my side, I decided to transform his iconic restaurant Roots into NODE - a stylish space for plant-loving folk. . Here I’ve poured my heart and soul into creating a place for people like me, who are curious and who love bringing nature inside, creating cozy and happy spaces (yes, I’m stocking my beloved @wilsondorset sheepskin goodies). In many ways, NODE is a space that’s totally new. When I have plants, there’s houseplant pop-ups but other likeminded creatives can use it too. It’ll be a little community hub in Lyttelton with all kinds of events, and workshops and foodie collabs with Giulio. I also see it as a place much bigger than me, to be used by others too who share the love for mindfulness and coziness and self-care. Does that make sense? 😜 . Keep following along because it’ll always be changing! And if you’re in Christchurch, come say hi at 8 London Street. I’ll be open this weekend from Friday: 2-6, Saturday 9-4, and Sunday 12-4 😊 #nodeNz
On March 20th, 2017 something remarkable happened On March 20th, 2017 something remarkable happened in New Zealand. Parliament passed legislation declaring that Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui River Claims Settlement) possesses the rights, powers, duties and liabilities of a living person. It’s a strong and powerful example of legal rights for nature. . A campaign petition slid into my inbox recently that reminded me of this historic decision. #1planet1right is a bold idea: let’s petition the UN to make it a recognized human right to live on a healthy planet. After all, isn’t that something we all deserve? . We all know as a planet we’re not doing great. Teetering on the brink of chaos, our systems are totally unsustainable, something that became blindingly obvious during COVID-19 lockdowns. We now have a chance to treat our home better and try to undo centuries of harm. . I’ve popped the petition link in my Stories to demand the UN to make it a universal human right to live on a healthy planet. Please sign too if you feel inclined ✌🏻 #theresnoplanetb
In Spain when you love someone very much, you call In Spain when you love someone very much, you call them “mi vida” which means my life. I would hear my friends use it with their lovers, and I would roll my eyes and say how cheesy and dramatic it was. But perhaps deep down, my heart wondered if I would ever have a “mi vida” or if someone would ever say it to me. . Eight years later, finally confident in my own skin and my own circumstances, on the other side of the world in New Zealand, I found “mi vida.” A Chilean expat who found his way to the same place here by way of Spain too. Isn’t it funny how the universe works? . Te quiero mucho mi vida @giuliosturla ❤️ “Te amo sin saber cómo, ni cuándo, ni de dónde, te amo directamente sin problemas ni orgullo: así te amo porque no sé amar de otra manera, sino así de este modo en que no soy ni eres, tan cerca que tu mano sobre mi pecho es mía, tan cerca que se cierran tus ojos con mi sueño.” Pablo Neruda
Follow the kiwi ❤️ memories from a perfect wee Follow the kiwi ❤️ memories from a perfect weekend on Rakiura/Stewart Island with the best crew, led by the pirate king of Southland @gravityfishingnz himself 😊 . #kiwi #rakiura #stewartisland #nzmustdo #newzealand
Tbt to the best day ever ❄️ heli-skiiing in Wa Tbt to the best day ever ❄️ heli-skiiing in Wanaka with the ultimate badass girl squad - led by @lydiabradey with @southernlakesheliski ❤️ it’s days like this where I fall in love with snowboarding again and again. Winter is beautiful. Our mountains are beautiful. What a special place we live in, eh? 📷 by honorary girl squad member @markclinton 🙏🏻 . #wanaka #heliski #blackpeak #newzealand #nzmustdo
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Who is Young Adventuress?

Hi, I'm Liz, and I got my first taste for traveling when I was 16 years old. On my own, 12 years and 50 something countries later, my wanderlust has only grown and the list of countries I want to visit longer. After living in Spain for the past few years and returning home for a stint, I then quit my job and moved to New Zealand and I've been here ever since. Follow my misadventures as I wander, eat, and photograph my way around the world

Get Inspired

  • From foster care to living abroad: the power of wanting more
  • Moving Giants: the story of translocating 200 elephants across Africa
  • Some thoughts on earning my permanent residency in New Zealand
  • How traveling with a food allergy inspired me to change the world

Featured Stories

  • My big issue with fear and travel
  • The best hate I got in 2015
  • The Story of the Kākāpō + Giveaway
  • Why Experience Still Matters

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